The Manipulated (Korean:조각도시) is a 2025 South Korean revenge action crime thriller television series written by Oh Sang-ho[ko], directed by Park Shin-woo and Kim Chang-ju, and starring Ji Chang-wook, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-su, and Lee Kwang-soo. It is based on the film Fabricated City, which Oh Sang-ho co-wrote.

It depicts the story of an ordinary man whose life is abruptly shattered for being wrongly accused of a major crime, but returns to pursue a bloody vengeance after discovering it was a fabrication. The series premiered with 4 episodes on Disney+ as a Hulu original series on November 5, 2025, as the Star content hub was replaced by Hulu on October 8, 2025.

Synopsis

It follows an ordinary man, Park Tae-jung, whose life takes a drastic turn when he is wrongfully accused of a heinous crime and sent to prison. After discovering that everything was orchestrated by An Yo-han, he sets out on a path of revenge.

Cast and characters

Main

A man who lived an ordinary life but was falsely accused of committing a heinous crime, and was sentenced to life.

The CEO of an exclusive security service who is linked to the incident that led to Tae-jung's imprisonment.

Tae-jung's benefactor in prison.

Yong-sik's daughter.

Yo-han's VIP client.

Supporting

Guan Prison

The most influential person in Guan Prison.

  • Kim Jae-chul as Yang Chul-hwan

A prison officer of Guan Prison.

A fellow inmate in Guan Prison, and the fierce rival of Deok-su.

  • Lee Jae-kyoon as Koo Ji-yong

Tae-jung's cellmate in Guan Prison.

The warden of Guan Prison.

Others

  • Kim Joong-hee as Kim Sang-rak

A public defender of Kim Sang-rak Law Office.

Tae-jung's younger brother.

  • Kwon Da-ham as Woo-jong

Tae-jung's friend.

Tae-jung's friend.

  • Lee Suk-hyeong as Dae-hoon

Tae-jung's friend.

  • Han Ji-hyo as Lee Sun-ah

Eun-bi's roommate.

  • Son Jong-hak as Baek Sang-man

Do-kyoung's father and a sitting member of the National Assembly.

The boss of a hair salon, and the next manipulated target of Yo-han.

  • Lee Sung-woo as Hwang Il-guk

A corrupt detective of the Seoul Junggu Police Station.

  • Lee Hyun-jin as Ching Li

A Chinese killer working for Yo-han.

  • Kim Min as Yoo Seon-gyu

Do-kyoung's partner.

  • Do Hyun-jin as Han-byeol

Eun-bi's friend in Busan.

Special appearances

Tae-jung's girlfriend.

  • Lee Jong-hyun as a sports car driver
  • Lee Jae-won as a prosecutor
  • Bae Na-ra as Woo Min-hyung

A killer working for Yo-han.

  • Jeong In-gi as Yo-han's nanny
  • Park Mi-hyun as Do-kyoung's mother

Production

Development

The series was developed by the film division of CJENM, which also produced it with Studio Dragon and Simplex Films with a production budget of 35 billion won. It was written by Oh Sang-ho[ko] , who also wrote the series Taxi Driver. In November 2024, Disney+ announced official English name for the series.

Casting

The Manipulated cast at the press conference on November 3, 2025

On November 13, 2023, Ji Chang-wook and Doh Kyung-soo were confirmed to be cast in the roles of the main characters.

Jo Yoon-su announced her casting in series in September 2024. In October 2024, news outlets revealed that Pyo Ye-jin was cast as Ji Chang-wook's love interest. In November same year, Lee Kwang-soo's agency King Kong by Starship confirmed his appearance in series as Baek Do-kyung.

Release

The Manipulated was released with 4 episodes on November 5, 2025, on Disney+ under the Hulu on Disney+ label. Subsequently, 2 episodes per week would be released on every Wednesday, with the final 2 episodes on December 3.

Reception

The Manipulated achieved strong viewership, ranking first in South Korea for two consecutive weeks and placed within the worldwide Top 4 as of 17 November, according to FlixPatrol. It also topped KinoLights’ OTT Trend Rankings for the second week of November. The related film Fabricated City similarly experienced a resurgence, rising to No. 2 on several OTT platforms. It also recorded 1.14 million participants on Naver Open Talk, the highest engagement among entertainment programs.

External links